Spartan Women: Morit Summers, Train True and Build Teams

In honor ofInternational Women’s Day, we will be sharing real Spartan women’s inspiring stories of living like a Spartan. Please join us onInstagram as our female heroes take over and motivate you to face your every obstacle with force, grace, and gratitude.

In this edition of Spartan Women, we meet Morit Summers who shares her emotional, personal story.

For years, it was all about weight loss for Morit Summers, until she found the Spartan community and rethought her approach to training. Now, she’s taking her first team to Spartan CitiField, and says it’s all about strength and longevity, NOT shedding pounds. Read on for Morit Summers’ inspiring story (and training tips!)

Personal trainer Morit Summers, 32, of Brooklyn, NY, says she has struggled with weight issues most of her life. “I was always fat growing up and it was all I cared about,” says Summers. She joined a gym at age 14 and got a personal trainer, which helped her see the benefits of hard work and consistency in working out. She then went on to school for exercise science and kinesiology because she wanted to become a trainer and help others the way her trainer helped her.

Embrace Non-Scale Victories

Morit’s rock bottom moment was when, as she explains, when she gained 40 pounds, “Living my life for someone else and only focusing on trying to lose weight to fit in. I finally shed the negative people in my life and found people that helped me feel confident and stay motivated,” says Summers. She considers her Spartan team her family. “Knowing that you’re surrounded by like-minded, non-judgmental people is incredibly important when you’re trying to live a healthy life.”

With a new, healthier approach to her personal training goals, her professional training style also changed dramatically. “For so long, it was about losing weight and helping others lose weight,” says Summers. “Now, it’s about being comfortable in the gym and training for strength and longevity.”

A Simple Sign Up Means You’ll Succeed

Ironically, Summers hates to run. But over eight years ago, she noticed Spartan and liked the idea of adding obstacles to mix up the course. She thought, why not give it a try? “I was trying to keep up with my coworkers, trying to prove I could do something even though I have never been so scared in my life,” says Summers. “What I found was that I was truly terrified before the race, completely defeated during, and so proud afterward.” Her Spartan friend Francine has been integral to Summers’ successes. Francine would stop with Summers when she couldn’t breathe, would let her cry, and would help her realize she could keep going. “Each time we went back for the next race, we would be stronger than before,” says Summers. Their efforts became not just a race, but a testament to how hard work truly does pay off. “So while I still hate running, I’m able to push harder each year. And each year, I’m a little less defeated and more proud when I cross the finish line.”

Why Training for Spartan is Different From the Rest

To Summers, Spartan is much more than just an obstacle race. It’s a tangible goal — something very specific to train for, as opposed to just aiming to lose weight. “In training for a Spartan race, you will need to work on all of the same things someone would work on to lose weight, but you get to put your hard work into action,” says Summers. “Losing weight, while sometimes is a necessity, is also just a goal, that we all think we need. Versus what we really want, working towards being able to complete something or getting better at something can be incredibly rewarding.”

Spartan Training Tips from the Pro

Summers says staying consistent and building good habits in training is key to success, especially when you hit your roadblocks, which are different for everyone. “I still struggle with nutrition, but I try and keep myself educated about food, and eat to train to by best ability,” she says. “I told myself a while ago, that I wanted to be my best self, and I keep telling myself that. Also, I try not to overthink anything, it’s really easy to get caught in the negative.” Summers also says for healthy, authentic motivation, it’s crucial to train around people that want to succeed just as badly as you do, if not more.

Summers decided to take her Spartan racing to the next level and train her first Spartan team to competition, which she says has been an incredible experience so far. “I’ve been able to share my journey and fears and help others feel more comfortable and confident about heading to their first race,” says Summers. “Our team has become an amazing community of women, who are all supporting and cheering each other on.” Normally, Summers doesn’t work on Sundays, but for the past several months she has been holding Spartan group training workouts then, and “I’m actually so happy to be there I don’t care that I don’t have a day off. The energy is amazing.”

Today, Morit Summers has run over 10 races and has her sights set on Spartan’s Citi Field, New York event. She plans to run it with her team from her personal training studio, FORM Fitness Brooklyn.